Loading machine



June 14, 1938. CARTUDGE 2,120,274

LOADING MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HIE June 14, 1938. F. CARTLIDGE 2,120,274

LOADING MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Patented June 14,- 1938 PATENT OFFICE LOADING MACHINE Frank Cartlidge, Chicago, 111., assignor' to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, III., a

corporation of Illinois Application November 20, 1935, Serial No. 50,624 Renewed November 22, 1937 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in loading machines of the type adapted to gather and load loose material such as coal from the ground, and more particularly to gathering heads includ- 5' ing gathering chains for initially picking up the loose material and loading it on a flight conveyer for discharge on a mine car or the like.

More specifically the present invention is an improvement in the general forms of gathering heads disclosed in my prior Patents Nos. 2,045,008 and 2,107,469.

Among the objects of my present invention is to provide a simpler and more eflicient construction, especially adapted for loading relatively large lumps of coal without crushing or breaking, and to provide an improved form of power drive connection between the chain flight conveyer and the gathering chains, whereby the conveyer con- H struction is simplified, and the parts are made '20 more readily accessible for repair or replacement. Other objects of my invention will appear from time to time from the following description.

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a loading head with the rear portion of the elevating conveyer broken away, and with other parts broken away to show certain details of construction;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken on line 30 2-2 of Figure 1, but with parts of the gathering chain omitted;

Figure 3 is a detail section taken on line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Referring now in particular to the details shown in the drawings, the gathering and loading element is mounted at the forward end of an inclined conveyer frame III, which, as usual, is carried at the forward end of a mobile truck having suitable power operating and control devices, 40 which need not be shown or described in detail herein, as the present invention is directed particularly to the construction of the gathering and loading element itself. a

The inclined conveyer frame I has a troughlike conveyer section II and a forward gathering section I2 connected thereto in a suitable manner, which forward section has a pair of laterally extending aprons I3 at opposite sides of the conveyer trough section and extending downwardly 50 in an inclined plane so that the forward ends of said aprons are adapted to engage the ground.

A plate I5 forms the bottom of the conveyer section II, which plate extends forwardly in an inclined plane, which herein is at a somewhat less angle of inclination to the ground than the angle of inclination of the aprons I3, as clearly shown in Figure 2.

The moving parts of the conveyer consist of a pair of parallel-spaced chains I6 having material engaging cross members or flights I! carried therebetween at intervals. In'the form shown, said flights are formed with their front and rear faces converging downwardly and outwardly, or in inverted V-shape, as clearly shown in Figure 2.

The lower stretch of the conveyer chains I6 extends downwardly beneath the plate I5 over idler rollers I8 and around a pair of sprockets I9 on transverse shaft disposed immediately forwardly of the front edge of the conveyer bottom plate I5. The sprockets I9 are fixed on the shaft 20 so. as to form a part of the drive mechanism for the gathering elements, as will hereinafter more fully appear. After the direction of the conveyer chains I6 has been reversed over the sprockets I9, said chains move upwardly over the bottom plate I5 on guide rails 22 disposed along opposite sides of said bottom plate, as is best shown in Figure 3.

The conveyer section II also has a pair of upright side plates 23 which define the main body of the trough section II and also extend downwardly beneath the plate I5 to-provide suitable bearing supports for the ends of the transverse shaft 20. Said side plates are flared outwardly at opposite sides of the elevating conveyer, as indicated at 23a.

A bottom plate 24 joins the lower margins of the side plates 23 adjacent the front of the gathering element. In the form shown, said plates extend forwardly from and beneath the sprockets I9 and terminate at the forward edge of the plate 24 which has a V-shaped notch 25 formed at its forward edge. are preferably arranged so as to converge inwardly toward each other with their forward ends partially overhanging the side walls 23, as clear- In the form shown, said aprons I 1y shown in Figure 1. The inner portions of said aprons are provided with upright walls 26, 26 extending downwardly to the bottom plate 24 to form in effect the side walls of an open U-shaped channel extending forwardly from the front end of the elevating conveyer, as clearly shown in Figure 1.

The gathering means consist of a pair of endless chains 21 on chain guides 28, each mounted on one of the aprons I3 and extending along opposite sides of the forward end of the conveyer and the open channel at the front of the gathering head. Said chains have a plurality of gathering arms 29 carried thereby, said arms being of sufiicient length to swing in a path extending forwardly beyond their respective aprons 13, as shown in Figure 1. The gathering chains are suitably driven by drive sprockets at their upper turning points.

Referring now to the novel form of drive connection between the conveyer chain l6 and the gathering chain sprockets 30 on shaft 30a, I provicle an improved form of geared drive connection to the transverse drive shaft 20 in the following manner:

At each outer end of the drive shaft 20 is a housing 3| mounted on the side plate 23 and also secured to the under face of the-adjacent apron 13, as by bolts 3la. Said housing forms a bearing support for the endof the shaft 20 and for a coupling shaft 32 carrying a bevel gear 33 meshed with a bevel gear 34 on the end of the drive shaft 20. Access to the shafts 20 and 32, together with their bearings and bevel gears, is afforded through a detachable plate, 35 securedatan angle at the outer ends of said shafts, as clearly shown in Figure 1.

The coupling shaft 32 extends rearwardly toward the sprocket shaft 30a and is operatively connected thereto through a coupling member 36, coupling shaft31 and a bevel gear 38 meshed with a-bevel gear 39 keyed on the lower end of the sprocket shaft 30a. The shafts 31 and 30a, respectively, have suitable bearing in a housing 40', which in the form shown, is preferably split on a vertical plane extending through the axis of the shafts 30a and 31.

The arrangement is such that the outer half 4| of the housing 40 is detachably secured to the inner half of the casing, as by bolts 42, and also, if desired, to the under side of the apron I3 by bolts 43. By removal of these bolts, the outer half M of said casing may be removed for ready access or removal of the enclosed gear and shafts mounted in said housing. Accessibility to the parts is further assisted by removal of the coupling member 36 which is split on a longitudinal axis and has the coupling shafts 32 and 31 keyed therein so as to form a detachable drive connection between theends of said coupling shafts, as clearly shown in Figure 1. I

From the above description, it will now be understood that among the advantages of the structure of the present invention is the simplified construction at the front or pick-up end of the. gathering head, whereby the bottom plate 24 forms the bottom of a, relatively deep channel leading to the front end of the elevating conveyer. In practice, I find that this channel tends to be filled with fines and smaller lumps as the whole gathering head is pushed forwardly into the pile of loose material, whichfines and smaller lumps form, in effect, a cushion over which the larger lumps may be raised and delivered to the elevating conveyer with much less danger of crushing or =bre akage. I

The inverted V-sh'ape of the conveyer flightsis also particularly advantageous. in a conveyer of this character, becausethe inclined engaging surfaces thereof tend to minimize the danger of jamming or breaking of the coal, particularly as said flights pass around the sprockets Is at their forward turning point and come in close proximity to the gathering arms carried by the gathering chains.

A further advantage consists in the improved arrangement of the drive connection between the transverse shaft 20 at the front end of the elevating conveyer and the upright sprocket shaft 30a of the gathering chains, whereby the drive for each of said gathering chains is taken directly off of the adjacent end of the elevating chain shaft 20, instead of being taken from a separate sprocket shaft driven off of the lower stretch of the elevating conveyer, as in previous practice. With this construction, the elimination of the auxiliary sprocket drive affords more vertical clearance beneath the gathering head, and also by eliminating the extra bends of the chain around the auxiliary drive sprocket, saves considerable wear on said chain.

.While I have herein shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it will be understood that the construction and ar rangement of the various parts may be changed or altered without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to be construed as limiting myself to the precise construction illustrated, excepting as it may be limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a loading machine, a gathering and loading element comprising an inclined endless conveyer, gathering means extending downwardly of saidinclined conveyer on opposite sides thereof and a plate disposed forwardly of and below the front end of said inclined conveyer, the forward end of said plate being adapted to engage the ground and the portion of said plate between said gathering means forming a channel substantially" below the path of movement of said gathering means and open to said-endless conveyer and having a bottom which extends rearwardly of and is below the path of movement of said endless conveyer at its forward turning point. V

2. In a loading machine, a gathering and loading element including a frame having a bottom plate terminating in a lip at its forward end which is adapted to engage the ground, a pair of laterally spaced apronsextending rearwardly from the forward end of said lip at an incline with respect to said bottom plate, the space between said aprons forming a. channel extending alongsaid bottom plate, a gathering device extending along each of said aprons including an endless chain having, gatheringarms projecting laterally therefrom, and an inclined endless conveyer extending into the rear end of said channel, said conveyer having, its forward turning point disposed below thepath of movement of said gathering devices and above the bottom of said channel.

FRANK CARTLIDGE. 

